Compact Pneumatic Valves for Oxygen PSA Systems

Application: Compact Pneumatically Operated Valves for Oxygen Service

Assured Automation now offers an oxygen cleaned nickel plated brass coaxial valve for OEM’s of Oxygen PSA generators. This compact, high cycle, low cost VA Series valve is ideal for saving space compared to other valve designs. The VA Series is currently being used successfully by several large OEM’s in Europe.

The VA Series combines a pneumatic actuator and fast on-off control valve into one body, eliminating packing glands, actuators and mounting kits. There are no exposed moving parts, eliminating pinch points and increasing operator safety. Since the actuator is part of the valve, costs are greatly reduced when compared to standard actuated valves. Operating life has been tested to well over 1,000,000 cycles, due to the balanced design which reduces friction and wear.

Pressure swing adsorption (PSA) is a technology used to separate a specific gas from a mixture of gases under pressure according to the species’ molecular characteristics and affinity for an adsorbent material. Absorptive materials are used as a molecular sieve, preferentially adsorbing the target gas species at high pressure. The process then swings to low pressure to desorb the adsorbed material.
Pressure swing adsorption processes rely on the fact that under high pressure, gases tend to be attracted to solid surfaces, or “adsorbed”. The higher the pressure, the more gas is adsorbed; when the pressure is reduced, the gas is released, or desorbed.

Schematic of Oxygen PSA process using VA Compact Automated Valves

PSA processes can be used to separate gases in a mixture because different gases tend to be attracted to different solid surfaces more or less strongly. If a gas mixture such as air, for example, is passed under pressure through a vessel containing an adsorbent bed of zeolite that attracts nitrogen more strongly than it does oxygen, part or all of the nitrogen will stay in the bed, and the gas coming out of the vessel will be enriched in oxygen. When the bed reaches the end of its capacity to adsorb nitrogen, it can be regenerated by reducing the pressure, thereby releasing the adsorbed nitrogen. It is then ready for another cycle of producing oxygen enriched air.

About Kim O'Neill

Marketing administrator at Assured Automation, a leading provider of automated valves and flow components for industrial process control applications. For over 30 years Assured Automation has provided state of the art automation to a diverse clientele ranging from small equipment manufacturers to Fortune 500 Manufacturing, Chemical and Pharmaceutical companies. The Assured Automation product line consists of a complete offering of standardized automated valve assemblies with a variety of commonly used accessory items. In addition, we offer complete valve automation services where we supply special automated valve assemblies designed around your specified products or your particular applications. Full design capabilities are offered including AutoCAD, Solidworks or other commonly used design and drawing programs. In addition to standard products, Assured Automation develops customized solutions for specific customer challenges. You can find Kim O'Neill on Google+ and LinkedIn.